This invention relates to a drug dispenser for storing and dispensing drugs according to prescriptions, and an input device through which prescribed drug names and their quantities are inputted into the dispensers.
A typical conventional drug dispenser of this type has a plurality of drug feeders set in storage shelves, and discharge means for discharging drugs in the feeders to a predetermined position. The discharge means discharge drugs, according to prescription data entered from outside, from a corresponding feeder.
An operator periodically removes the feeders from the shelves to check the number of drugs remaining in each feeder. If the operator finds any feeder running short of drugs, corresponding drugs are taken out of a drug stocker and are put into the feeder.
Such drug replenishment is carried out by an operator in the following manner. First, the operator removes all the drug feeders from the shelves. Then, the operator checks the number of drugs remaining in each feeder, selects feeders that need replenishment, puts the selected feeders on a worktable, memorizes or writes down all the drug names to be replenished, walks to the drug stocker, takes necessary drugs out of the stocker, brings them onto the worktable, puts them into the corresponding feeders, and then puts the feeders back into the shelves.
An operator has to do this troublesome work periodically. The intervals between such replenishment and stocktaking routines have to be sufficiently short, because otherwise some feeders may run out of drugs. If the drug dispenser is operated with some of the feeders empty, the dispenser will stop. This extremely lowers work efficiency.
An object of this invention is to reduce the workload on operators during replenishment and stocktaking of drugs stored in a drug dispenser.